


From Ilum to Beyond

by halocentury



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And Need Fixing Too, Cal Kestis doesn't survive, Canon JFO up to the events on Ilum, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, History Lessons as Taught by Armitage Hux, Retelling of Sequel Trilogy, droids have feelings too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23994031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halocentury/pseuds/halocentury
Summary: Almost forty years have passed.The planet known as Ilum is a tomb of what it used to be. Mined and depleted of most of it's resources, it has since been designated as the location for the First Order's base-slash-weapon of choice.One resource remains hidden within the crystal caves where Padawan and Jedi once traveled.It isn't kyber.It's a droid.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & BD-1
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	From Ilum to Beyond

**Author's Note:**

> Where canon-divergent and canon meet. Ilum and Starkiller being the same planet and location was a wonderful revelation and too good to pass up.

A planet of unknown riches, hollowed by the Empire; now, years later, the First Order was claiming it for themselves. 

He wondered how many men and women worked here before him, if they truly knew the kind of impact they would have on the future. Not just building and strengthening the Empire, but equipping weapons that would bring the galaxy to kneel before the Emperor himself. 

Where the Empire fell, the First Order would take over.

There was still work to be done on Ilum, and he supervised, from far and near. This wasn’t his first trip down onto the planet. He came down on several occasions, bestowed with the commanding role of the team, his team. 

Engineers were discussing the procedures and protocols that he discussed with them before coming down. The caves, winding deeper into the core, were sure to leave even the most experienced confused. Old maps, as provided from the archival resources leftover from the Empire, helped, but one had to be cautious of natural deterioration over time. Overmining the planet might have had nasty effects on the stability.

A few scientists milled around, taking samples of the minerals and other substances inside and making notes of the geothermal and hydrothermal activities. Already there were stormtroopers stationed through the caves, all the way through to the Imperial Station. Even at the landing site and untouched areas. They couldn’t afford to take any risks.

“Remember everyone, listen to your commanding captains. Assist the scientists and engineers as they request. Our presence, our predecessors, claimed this planet long ago, but one must exercise extreme caution. This planet is going to be our operational base for the foreseeable future, and we want to make sure that that is going to be for the long haul.” He paused, barely keeping his expression to a reassuring command. It was all too fulfilling to hear his voice echo through the open chamber, once temple, and into the naturally carved corridors beyond. “Stay close, and follow orders. We will reconvene here at 1600 hours.”

With his own smaller troop, head engineer by his side and several stormtroopers accompanying them, Hux led the way for the assigned groups who were going deeper into the crystal caves. Every so often one group would branch away, consulting their copies of the maps they were provided; through narrow gaps carved between towering walls of ice, scaling ladders to get over one chasm to another, climbing up to narrow ridges. All knowing that one misstep, one fall, could mean death.

They stopped on several occasions, scanning various structures and taking samples from the ground they walked on and the walls. The esoteric elements, he admitted, went over his head. It wouldn’t hurt to bring those scans to ask for Ren’s opinions. He might find them valuable.

He nearly clutched his scanning device, eyes widening, hopeful and enlightened. He would be far wiser to bring them to Ren’s attention when they were both meeting with the Supreme Leader. It would be a gesture of cooperation, and a boost to his own reputation to show that he had found something before him. And if the Supreme Leader wasn’t impressed by his findings or willingness to share, well – it wouldn’t be the first time either.

Supressing his smirk they continued their rounds, stopping and observing, commenting and theorizing out loud. It was slow going at times, paths becoming icy, relying on the wall to not slip or crash into one another. But finally they made their way down to what looked like an interconnected series of rivers, or perhaps a pond. He couldn’t guarantee how solid the ice was on the opposite side, what with the hydrothermal activity, but he wouldn’t be surprised if something existed beyond the thick sheet of ice that acted as a wall.

He took another step closer, toes slipping past the bank, when across the river, buried under sheets of ice, backlit with various shades of blue or grey, he saw a flash of red. Imagining it was just a fluke reflection of himself, he took a step to the left, expecting to see his own image looking back at him, warped by the uneven nature of the ice; he cocked his head when he didn’t even see his own orange hair flashing back.

Taking to his previous spot, he saw the red again. An odd shape, perhaps a missed fragment of kyber crystal, but that seemed very unlikely. The Empire was very thorough, very completist, in mining Ilum dry.

There was something else in the ice. 

No one had set up ladders, or even footbridges to pass over the river, and not wanting to take a running leap onto ice that could very likely break under him, he measured his choices. Took in the shelter provided by the ice cave, the lack of wind, and the steam coming off the water, before making his decision. 

Setting his datapad down, he took a deep breath.

He heard the engineer yelling at him the second before his head disappeared under the water. 

His eyes stung a little with the heat but he swam deeper, eyes wide – searching. To his surprise it wasn’t two rivers ringing the area, there were no banks or ice underneath the surface of the water, letting him swim further away from the bank he originally stood on. He held his breath and swam, kicking and slicing his arms through the water. 

He passed under several sheets of ice, much thicker than he realised, before he saw actual ground, ice from above the water and reaching deep into the underground lake. His lungs already pushing their limits he swam to the surface, breathing deeply when he finally broke through. 

Awkwardly climbing onto solid ground he looked across to the wall that had caught his attention in the first place, trying to measure where he might have been standing, searching for the mystery red within the ice. From where the engineer stood, still calling for him, he remembered the colour seemed to be buried quite deep. 

Upon a higher perch, a shelf that vaguely looked like a shrunken work bench, he saw several tools. His best option was a screwdriver, which would hopefully work as an ice pick, should what he was looking for in the wall not be too deep. 

Returning to the wall, he started walking from the point that was actually visible from the rest of the cave, and not the separate room he stood in. Tracing his fingers through the fissures, spiderweb cracks and glossy shades of blue, he scanned from top to bottom and back, treading slowly, not wanting to miss anything. Something like this had to have been seen previously, by any of the groups sent down by himself. Or previously by the Empire. It didn’t make any sense; nothing could’ve happened since the First Order came down within the past month, or even previously. The planet was kept uncharted, a mystery designed by the Emperor himself, a relic forgotten like all the Jedi before. 

Searching the wall silently, and musing to himself, he paused, a hint of red, just a small narrow stripe of it, was embedded in the wall around waist height. Crouching to get a better look, the spot, spots as they now happened to be, in an unfamiliar design. Encased in ice, edges blurred, he couldn’t get a proper idea for the height or shape, but he could only guess that it might be a droid, yet not Imperial made.

Snoke and Ren would have his neck if he destroyed any part of the temple, or anything else of value that still remained in the caves. Steady-handed, he started chipping, working his way slowly from the outside in, once more of the object was revealed. 

More voices sounded from the opposite side of the wall but he didn’t both to call out. Attention fully given to his task, he chipped and brushed away the ice and debris that came with weakening the structure. Always careful, aware that he might have the room collapse on him, he worked on only the one area, keeping it as small as possible. 

Unaware of the time passed, and needing to take a few minutes here and there to massage his fingers, he chipped in far enough to get his first glimpse of the droid without the ice in the way, revealing a small flexible foot. Chipping more the next part revealed was a fairly thin leg. Rather than freeing the whole bottom half he chipped and chiselled further up, freeing one side of the upper portion and then the head. 

He stretched one slender finger into the niche, scooping out loose crumbled ice from between the antennae. 

His hand was painfully cramped when he had the droid freed; frozen not just from head to toe, it had shut down, pieces close to shattering if it got bumped even lightly. It would take nothing short of a miracle to get the thing up and running again. Trying to swim out would only damage the droid more, so it was with a fair bit of wiggling, and holding the droid cradled against him, that he climbed and slid the way out through the hole he chiseled. 

Several individuals clearly had the sense to build a makeshift foot bridge with stormtrooper batons and shields. He rocked a bit as he crossed but the important thing was that he made it back over to where the head engineer waited, curious as she eyed the contraption tucked under his arm. 

“Who is this little guy?” He lifted his arm for her to get a better look, studying the droid, appendages, paintjob and other markings. “He’s not an Imperial-made or -serving droid. Whatever it is, it got in here uninvited.”

“You can consider him my side-project,” he insisted, fixing her with a warning look; he got along with her just fine, but considering he spent a good portion of his day freeing it, it was going to be his job to get the droid up and running.

“I’ll let my division know you’ll be requisitioning tools for repairs.” Straightening up she regained her professional air, but there was no questioning the interest in which she regarded the droid. He allowed it, after all he was the same. There were many questions that the droid’s presence brought up. 

“Good, for now we’ll resume with our assigned task.” He didn’t inquire as to where their accompanying stormtroopers went to, assumedly reassigned by one or two squadron leaders. 

It wasn’t until he was back in his quarters on the Finalizer that he set the droid down, making sure to cover the table with a clean towel. Not wanting to risk any temperature fluctuations in doing something unpredictable, anything damaging, he lowered the temperature, much cooler than he usually kept it. 

He rubbed his hands together when the entry-pad from the main door chimed. Expecting it to be the supplies he ordered he hurried to answer.

“I heard you adopted a baby,” Phasma greeted him, slipping her helmet off to show off the smirk he’d heard. 

He motioned her in quickly, the door sliding shut, grimacing when he knew no one else was around to see it. “Has everyone heard about it?”

“I happened to overhear it. I’m sure most people will know about it in a few days.” She flinched a little, looking around. “I guess you’re planning on working on it in here? I can’t imagine why else you’d have your rooms this cold otherwise.”

“I am not letting anyone else handle this droid. If I took him down to one of the engineering labs everyone would be looking and touching it. Besides, they have more important things to work on.” Knowing what she came in for, he led the way to his sitting room. He had moved the furniture around to let him use the area he normally sat down for meals be changed up to let him work on the droid. A newly added partition-wall enclosed what he now called his work-bench area, a manual-sliding door built into the wall to let him through. This time he let Phasma enter first, closing the door after and calling the lights up. 

“I haven’t seen anything like this,” Phasma remarked, tucking her helmet under her arm, and staying a safe distance away from the table. “Any idea what make it is?”

“I haven’t started on any part of it yet.” It wasn’t a comparison he would normally make but he felt like Ren when he returned to the ship, wet and frozen, returning from what he called his own personal mission. Instead of trekking dirt, burnt fabric and other layers of filth onto the star destroyer he left one puddle after another when he made his way to his quarters. His uniform went straight into the laundry chute, the temperature lowered, and he took the droid straight to the table with a clean towel ready. After setting him out he showered and put on the warmest clothes he had. “I would like to try and find any details on what its origins are, to make sure that I’m not going in completely blind with repairs and power cords. I’m concerned how old this little guy is. Some of the mechanics or repairs might be outdated.”

“Little guy?” She shot him an amused look, the expression a little warmer than her usual smirk. “You’re already in love with it.”

“I don’t know what its name is, I need something to refer to it by,” he argued, laying his hand on it gently, making sure that the temperature was suiting it so far. 

“You won’t ever let it out of your sight.” When he looked up at her, ready with another countered statement, she arched an eyebrow. “You already said that you won’t let anyone else see or touch it.” 

“I’m letting you see it,” he reminded.

“That’s because I don’t accept no as an answer.” Taking another step back to put her helmet on, she nodded quickly. “I’m expecting updates in person. I need to contact the squadrons still on Base.”

He kept to his promises, even if the first week all those updates consisted of research. There were far too many droids, makes and models and brands, forgotten over the years, and there was no way to ascertain how far back he’d have to look through records.

It was four days later that he finally found what he was looking for.

Most of the equipment he required the engineering department sent up to him. What worried him was if he needed to replace any parts of the BD’s mechanical anatomy. There was a slim chance that he could repair the pieces himself but he was getting too far ahead, and thinking too optimistically.

Plus there was the issue of recharging. Matching up the right cables to his ports, and the required voltages, he didn’t want to damage the droid, or the ship, if he made even the smallest of mistakes.

Inspecting the surface of the droid, it didn’t look too damaged. He was reluctant to touch up any spots where weathering had taken place; no wires were exposed and until he could properly power it up, there seemed to be no indication that the joints were weak. One of the antennae was damaged, so that was the first thing he actually fixed.

Going by the specs that his readings showed, he had found the right power converter to hook the droid to the power source that was the closest to what it operated on. The power cord he required he actually needed to order but when it arrived a few days later, he was ready. 

Holding his breath, the droid connected to the power source, he turned the power on, increasing the power output at increments, keeping an eye on the voltage as well as the state of the droid. 

He watched from the doorway when he ate dinner, holding onto his bowl and spoon, making sure the process was still going smoothly. And checked in twice in the morning, first when he woke up and again before he left to begin his shift.

What he didn’t expect was weak little hoots when he got back from his shift. Treading softly towards his work room, he realised they weren’t just soft from the slow recharging process but also confused, and scared. 

Setting his datapad down on his couch he opened the door to the workroom, switching the light on but only turning it up to fifty per cent. Not too bright in the once dark room, but also making sure that he wasn’t stepping in unannounced. “I don’t want to alarm you, I just want to check how you’re doing.”

He hadn’t thought about restraining the BD unit, not thinking it was necessary. Approaching the table, it was already up on its feet, but he wasn’t trying to run; if he had to make a comparison, it was as though he was a baby first learning how to stand or walk. “Are you feeling okay? The power’s not too strong, is it?”

The droid turned to face him, optical lens twisting to look at him properly. It wiggled a little with the movement but rather than reach out to steady him Hux kept his hand back. Nearly clasped his hands behind his back but thought better of it, keeping them at his side, visible for the droid.

“I found you, you had been powered down, I wanted to make sure you weren’t damaged.”

It uttered a low, sinking noise, much like a sad sigh.

“I found out you’re a BD unit, so I’m doing my best to fix you up to… standard.” He realised that it sounded absurd, and there was no guarantee that the droid wasn’t adjusted to a specific role. The information he found on BDs was limited, the production line was only made for a short period of time. “Do you go by a specific name?”

The droid perked up at that, chirping out his name.

“The first?” He smiled a bit. “Nice to meet you BD-1. I’m… well, the full name is Armitage Hux. Most people just call me Hux.” His commanding officers didn’t even deign to call him by his rank, a decision they would regret. “I don’t know how much longer you need to keep powered up for, what capacity are you at? And is the temperature okay? You were on a very cold planet, I was afraid heating you up too fast would damage your circuits.”

It took a little longer for BD-1 to answer, beeping out tentatively. Hux tilted his head, trying to remember if anything unusual had been seen since they resumed what the Empire started. “I didn’t hear any reports of anyone else found there. Who were you with?”

The next response had him stopping entirely. He had to fight down his intrigue, and near enthusiasm, to concern. “A Jedi? No, no sign of anyone at all. What… was his name?” Alas, the name on everyone’s lips was not the one BD-1 answered. “Cal Kestis? No, I haven’t heard of him. What does he look like?” 

He hesitated a moment, brushing his hair when BD-1 compared them. And, in hope, he just had to ask. “Have you ever heard of a Jedi by the name of Skywalker?”

This time it was his turn to fret, and to frankly be confused. Whether or not everyone in the galaxy believed Skywalker to be real, the name was normally recognised. He knelt down so he was eye level with the droid. “You look like you’ve seen a lot of adventures. Being on Ilum, the planet has not been occupied in a very long time. Do you remember when it might’ve been you arrived there?”

His eyes widened imperceptibly, shocked by the date BD-1 spat out. Five years into the reign of the Empire. “It’s been… a very long time since you were down there. Forty years has passed since then.” 

This… was significant. Not as significant as finding Luke Skywalker, which was what the Supreme Leader had requested of Ren. Track down the last of the Jedi and either bring him to their side, or kill him. But the Supreme Leader would covet any connection to the Empire, by way of the droid. It could be a valuable tool. 

Except, as a connection to the Jedi, there was just as much possibility that the Supreme Leader and Ren would take any measure to gleam resources concerning the Old Jedi Order and take it to their advantage, without any concern for the droid.

Taking in his long silence, BD-1 fidgeted. Took a step back and made a quivering high noise, not unlike a whimper. Asking a question that had the droid unmistakably scared.

“No, this is – I am not the Empire. We are – The First Order, we are nothing like them. We only – stole, their style to accommodate our mission. We are restoring Order to the Galaxy, we’re going to – right the wrongs, that the Empire caused.”

BD-1 didn’t look convinced, which, with the way he stuttered through trying to defend himself, Hux wasn’t surprised. He took off his gloves, set them on the floor, before reaching for the droid. BD-1 didn’t move forward immediately, stayed put in fact.

“Look, you are safe in my quarters.” Unfortunately, now that Phasma knew that the droid was here, there was little to no chance he could sneak the droid out. With his luck, Ren would be the next to know, and getting him off the ship would be impossible.

There was also the fact that, being on the ship, he already knew too much about him and the First Order, the construction taking place on Ilum. All information that if it fell into the wrong hands, everything would be ruined.

There was really no other option, to keep him around, on their side, or turn him into scrap metal.

“I promise you,” he said, nodding his head and offering his hand to BD-1. “I’ll make sure no harm comes to you.”

He kept BD on charge while talking with him, the droid’s running commentary on malfunctions and broken pieces dictating him on what required repairs. As it turned out, he was unconcerned about the aesthetics, not seeing the point of fixing up weathered and worn parts of his body, though he did use oil to make sure his joints weren’t damaged from years-long stiffness and ice. 

Not that BD would be all too aware of the temperature of his quarters, outside of not wanting to turn the heat up too fast until his circuits and processing unit had adjusted, but Hux was all too grateful when he was able to take off the sweater he had been wearing. 

“Are you fully charged?” BD hooted an affirmation, doing a quick two-step bounce from one foot to the other. He was still testing and enjoying his returned dexterity and functions. “I’m going to take you off the power overnight, just to test to see if the power will hold. Otherwise, I think you’re all fixed up.”

He hopped off the table with a long whistle, darting to the door. Waiting impatiently for it to open and almost headbanging it. 

He bit back a laugh before opening it. “Most of the doors are motion activated. This door, the wall actually, I wanted to keep a workspace separate from my sitting room.” 

BD didn’t waste any time, first scampering around the room, or as much of the room was available. Setting up the room to its normal dimensions and features will need to be saved for tomorrow. Fortunately the kitchenette wasn’t changed; when he opened the conservator the time shown on the door turned out to be later than he expected. 

Eating on the couch, a meal rehydrated and cooked with the correct measure of water, he listened to BD investigating the rooms of his quarters, soft and distant the further he went. Louder when he sped back, climbing up the side of the couch to perch on the armrest. 

“Everything looks okay?” With a nod, and after a frankly disturbed noise when he looked down to his plate, BD whistled his agreement. “I won’t know for sure until tomorrow if you can have full access to the ship. I’ll have to ask my superiors, maybe engineering too. There might be a few places you aren’t allowed into. Until I have an answer, you’ll need to stay in my quarters.”

He should also be able to get the partition wall removed, a workroom no longer needed. He’d return the supplies he borrowed from engineering before his shift started, making it less of a tripping hazard for BD and the removers. It will give BD more room to explore, familiarize himself with the quarters he’ll be staying in.

It was meant to be straightforward.

His morning had gone as he planned. He took his items down to engineering yet arrived to his shift on the bridge a few minutes late. A couple of the engineers were curious to find out about his progress with the droid, asking for how it operated, how capable it would be as an addition to the Finalizer fleet. 

Captain Peavey wasn’t impressed to see him running to his station but Hux took a deep breath as soon as the doors closed behind him, stopping and walking in calm measured steps to his position by the communications array. 

The menial tasks he was assigned, that were normally below him, were definitely a reprimand for his lateness, but Hux obeyed them without comment. He side-eyed the Captain each time he left the bridge, even following Peavey as he recited his notes to him for the meetings he was attending that afternoon. 

The fact that Peavey was not even remotely prepared for his meetings rankled him further. 

Writing up his reports for him afterwards bored him tears. 

The break to the monotony was appreciated, until he heard the reason why.

He got word seconds before Peavey did, who bellowed from his office.

“Lieutenant! What is the meaning of-”

“I will have it under control!” Walking crisply would not do the emergency good. He bolted for the door and sprinted to the port-side hangar, checking his comm each time it pinged. 

[On the move. Stormtroopers in pursuit.]

Puffing his chest out, half a deep inhale but also under the false belief that if he led with his chest he would get there faster, he banked left. Starting out at this pace was going to leave his legs aching but he needed to get there fast, lest more damage was done.

He narrowly avoided running into a stormtrooper’s back, who was dodging back from a control panel for a door catching on fire. He skidded past, before seeing the cause of all of the trouble.

“BD!” He didn’t want to yell, and hoped more than anything that it would be efficient enough as a distraction. He held up a hand, knowing that as a defense it was worthless against all the blasters that were firing at him as a result of being in-between them and the little droid. He could only pray that they were set to stun. 

By luck he snared BD as the droid tried to dodge out of blaster fire, getting his arm around his midsection. “Hold your fire!” he hollered, holding tighter as BD tried to zap him and squirm free.

Marched back to the bridge, with several stormtroopers armed behind him, he walked tall and confident. Preparing his statement in his mind he felt ready to assure the Captain that everything was under control.

It was too tempting to stand tall, taller than Peavey, but he dropped his chin down under his stare. “What do you have to say for yourself Lieutenant?” Peavey inquired, voice dripping with condescension. “Why is this droid even on the Finalizer? Do you really want him to destroy the whole ship?”

Only your reputation, he thought to himself, refraining from pursing his lips and rolling his eyes. “He was discovered on Ilum when I went down with the team last week. Not only did he stand out, as not being a part of the crew, I was optimistic he would possess valuable information for us once I had him operational again. I – He came back online as of last night.”

Captain Peavey moved in closer, scrutinizing the droid. One of BD’s antennae bristled and swatted Hux on the chin but otherwise neither moved. “And what is he? Besides a threat to the safety to everyone on my ship?”

“He’s a BD unit.” He curled his arm to secure BD better, but the real purpose was to shift him away from Peavey. “He’s… over forty years old.” A peep and Hux corrected himself. “Fifty years old.”

“Keep him under better control.” Peavey looked no less suspicious but he could recognize an asset. Hux didn’t budge, not even to breathe out of turn. “And get him out of here before I launch him out of an airlock. I need to check in on how much damage he’s caused.” 

He relaxed his hold on BD as he exited the bridge, unconcerned by the rest of the personnel watching him leave. He still had the three stormtroopers walking behind him, blasters held by their sides, but ready to react. 

He wasn’t going to question BD during the walk back to his quarters. He didn’t even try to stop him when the droid wiggled out of his grasp; fortunately he only clamped his feet around his arm to climb up onto his shoulder, observing the path they took. “I understand being cramped up in my quarters is far from fun, but at least stay there for the rest of my shift. I will do everything I can to make sure you have… freedom to roam the majority of the ship. I don’t think they would let you go back to the hangar.”

He would need to find out just what all the damage was later, but BD took that reprimand with some amount of pride, righting his head up and nearly smacking the side of his head. 

“We’ll talk soon, I still have… five more hours until the end of my shift.” Assuming that Peavey didn’t keep him overtime for punishment of being late, or on behalf of the droid. 

He had a lot more to explain to BD, but first he needed to find out what happened during the time he escaped from his quarters. There was also the two extra hours that Peavey did tack onto his shift; part of it was doing the repairs to the panels and doors that BD destroyed on his flight from the hangar. 

Peavey hadn’t expected him to get it done as fast as he did, which he delighted in for all of ten seconds, before Peavey sent him down to the hangar on clean up duty, sorting through the broken debris to find pieces that could be reused. Following that he cleaned up the oil spills and other stains, and binned the unusable parts for trash and recycling. 

More than a little dirty after he finished, his stomach was growling for food, but he went for his quarters instead of the mess hall.

He had barely set foot inside when something jabbed into his calf, a shock going through his whole leg. 

Hobbling to his desk, needing to support himself with the closest piece of furniture, he tried to dodge BD, dancing around his feet, beeping and blatting at him. Still trying to shock him, going for his other leg. “BD, put that away, I really don’t want to collapse on top of-“

A jab to the back of his knee no less, and Hux tried to redirect his fall away from the desk. In that attempt, it was a save, but he finally tripped over the droid and they landed, BD remarkably unharmed. Hux supposed he got off pretty lucky too, considering he didn’t feel any pain, but that could be the result of his legs being numb from the shocks. 

Legs twisted ungainly, he tried pushing himself up but only got so far, BD holding out his shocking device to his face. He lifted his hands in surrender, listening to his accusations, understanding him completely. “Yes, I know – I left out a lot of information, and I can explain it all to you – but you need to put that away. I can’t talk if you zap my face.”

BD took a step back, shocking extension still directed to his face, but he was willing to accept his silence and distance as grudging agreement. 

“We… are not the Empire.” He pushed himself up straighter, tried to pull his legs into some semblance of a sitting position. “That part is true, we are the First Order. But… the Empire was defeated, some time ago, I guess it was… twenty years ago. A treaty was signed, which should’ve been a start of peace but – the New Republic, that was never their intention. They, their governing body, ignored what was happening in the aftermath of the war. They only cared about catering to needs and demands of the core planets.”

His memories were sketchy at best, being so young as he was, but he remembered flashes of his childhood; the Resistance bombing the academy on Arkanis after the ceasefire was called. The blockade points, preventing passage off planet, not granting food and medicine from getting into the towns and villages where they were needed. 

“Any other planets that suffered in the war, they continued to suffer. People – all other designations, they had nothing, not even scraps to call their own. The only people who wanted to stand up for their rights were the men and women of the Empire who escaped. They started the First Order. We, the First Order, have a very different goal than the Empire. We’re here to bring balance to the galaxy, to bring the order and structure that the New Republic hoards for their wealthy allies.”

BD remained silent, and as he looked up from his clenched hands, he swore that the droid was blinking at him. It could’ve been disbelief, or simmering anger; there was no way to read a droid without knowing all its mannerisms. BD was still a stranger to him, and him a stranger to BD. They could only take each other’s words and actions at face value.

At least BD had put his extension away, currently leaving himself unarmed. 

“We suffered under the New Republic. There are so many… young officers and stormtroopers, who experienced first hand the poverty the New Republic inflicted on us. We were never given the chance for a normal life. Losing fam…” He twisted his head to the side, remembering the one smiling face he knew from his childhood. Torn away from him. “Families. Losing any sense of belonging. Forced to grow up on star destroyers. If it weren’t for the star destroyers of the Empire, we would’ve been homeless. And we were banished, having to flee into the Unknown Region. Far be it that the New Republic be reminded of how they failed us, daily – and pushed us as far out as possible, so they could no longer see what they did to us. To know that they were sending us away to starve and die.”

BD sounded less angry than before, but his questions were valid, beeping at him insistently. “These Stormtroopers, they joined us. They are not like the Clone troopers, they don’t just fire indiscrim-” He tried not to laugh, BD stomping his foot indignantly. “Okay, let me just correct you on that – you were out and raining havoc in the hangar, and then in the corridors. I agree, they shouldn’t have been firing at you, but you shouldn’t have been doing what you did. I should’ve had this talk with you last night. That is rightfully my fault, and I will ensure that no Stormtrooper or officer will harm you in anyway. You will be safe on the Finalizer.”

He cocked his head at him, finally blatting out the name that Hux had to roll his eyes at. 

“That blowhard.” He smirked when BD trilled, strutted around in what was a fairly good imitation of Peavey. “You will not be airlocked, I will guarantee that. I have someone who I need to talk to, whom I’m pretty sure will see things the same way I do.” BD stopped, looking at him questioningly. “I found you on Ilum. You were there with a Jedi. I know this won’t sound good, up front at least, but you have information that will help us a lot.”

He scampered away, bleeting at him. “No, I’m not using you as a bartering chip.” With a sharp whistle, which had him pausing for a half-second, BD stomped back towards him, shock extension brandished again. “It’s not helping myself, it’s helping you too. I won’t be able to protect you on my own. I do need people to see my perspective, to know that you… have a place, here on the Finalizer, for the First Order. That I trust you and that they can too. Even if you are dangerous when provoked, but then again – who isn’t?”

The shock extension dipped down, no longer held straight, bending slightly as BD’s optical lenses whirred, expanding and focussing slowly on him. 

“I’m going to help you, I’ll do everything that I can. If you want me to. You’re free to change your mind, if you don’t feel safe here. If… you can’t agree with me or the First Order.” It wasn’t what he wanted, or hoped for. He had aspirations for himself, and BD, but it wasn’t like he wasn’t accustomed to getting his way. He had a lot of experience of being undermined and pushed around. 

He felt the prod at his knee, glad to know that he was regaining feeling in his leg, but it was the soft boop that forced him to find his voice again. “Yes, really. We can get you to the nearest – space station or planet, whichever we come across first.” He pushed a smile onto his face, petting BD’s head, but his fingers stilled and his expression faltered. “We would have to wipe your memories first though.”

To his surprise, it was BD who froze, hunkering down until he was nearly on the floor. “What’s wrong?” It took a while for him to answer, a slow, quiet response. Hux was as quiet as BD when he finally finished explaining.

Hux tried to swallow, but the lump in his throat made it hard, and painful. 

“I…” He rubbed his cheek, out of excuses, and ashamed. “If I had a choice on the matter, I wouldn’t do that to you, if you promised me not to tell anyone else about what you’ve seen. But… it won’t be my choice. Peavey will be asking around to find out what happened about you, and if he doesn’t personally oversee you being wiped clean, then… it would be worse for you.”

It would be even worse for himself, but he couldn’t say that, not when BD looked dejected already.

Unremarkably, faced with that option, BD shook his head, knowing what kind of a fate he’d be looking at. Shook his head a second time before nuzzling against his leg, a soft whimper of a hum uttered up to him. 

“I can’t ask you to not hold that against me, because… I understand. You don’t have any choice. It’s either… lose your memories, or stay here.” He stroked his fingers along the back of his body, hoping that it was the reassuring touch he was aiming for. “Peavey won’t airlock you or wipe your memory clean. No one will harm you. I’ll make sure of it.”

**Author's Note:**

> My sincerest apologies to Cal Kestis.


End file.
